Shloka 19

अलिङ्ग-लिङ्ग-निरूपणं तथा प्राकृत-सृष्टिवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

अहंकाराच्छब्दमात्रं तस्मादाकाशमव्ययम् सशब्दमावृणोत्पश्चाद् आकाशं शब्दकारणम्

Transliteration

ahaṃkārācchabdamātraṃ tasmādākāśamavyayam saśabdamāvṛṇotpaścād ākāśaṃ śabdakāraṇam

Translation

Mula sa Ahaṃkāra sumibol ang maselang prinsipyo ng tunog; mula roon lumitaw ang di-nasisirang ākāśa (eter). Taglay ang tunog, ito’y sumunod na lumaganap—sapagkat ang ākāśa ang sanhi at saligan ng tunog.

Word by Word

• अहंकारात्: from ahaṃkāra (ego-principle)

• शब्दमात्रम्: the mere subtle element of sound (tanmātra)

• तस्मात्: from that

• आकाशम्: ether/space (ākāśa)

• अव्ययम्: imperishable, undecaying

• सशब्दम्: possessing sound

• आवृणोत्: covered/spread/extended (manifested as an all-pervading field)

• पश्चात्: thereafter

• आकाशम्: ether

• शब्दकारणम्: the cause/source of sound

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological teaching as received in the Linga Purana tradition)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It grounds Linga worship in tattva-srishti: the Linga signifies Pati (Shiva) as the support of all manifestation, while the emergence of ākāśa with sound points to mantra (śabda) as a primary means of approaching Shiva in worship.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By describing the rise of sound and ether from cosmic principles, it implies Shiva as the transcendent Pati beyond the evolutes (tattvas), the one in whom śabda and ākāśa ultimately rest and through whom creation becomes intelligible and ritually accessible.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Śabda-based practice—japa and mantra—since ākāśa is described as sound-bearing; in Pashupata-oriented discipline, refinement of speech and inner sound supports the soul (paśu) in loosening bonds (pāśa) rooted in ahaṃkāra.